Health department asks for refrain from smoking in cars with kids

Amrit Lal / For the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department

We know the facts, we have heard the bad news: smokers die because of the chemicals in cigarettes. No other consumer product is as dangerous, or kills as many people. According to the World Health Organization’s Tobacco Atlas, cigarettes kill half of all lifetime users. Within this country, 438,000 deaths each year occur due to tobacco use. Close at hand, in Pierce County itself, there are some 1,000 deaths each year that can be attributed to tobacco use.

More important than these grim statistics is the fact that for every 8 smokers that tobacco kills, another person, who is not a smoker but is exposed to secondhand smoke, dies. The risk of lung cancer in non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke is increased between 20 and 30 percent, and the excess risk of heart disease is 23 percent.

Children are at a particular risk from adult smoking. A complex mixture of chemicals is generated from the burning end of the cigarette, and confined spaces intensify the problem. A recent study by Janice Willett, head of Ontario Medical Association (The Canadian Press, December 10, 2007) shows that tobacco smoke is 23 times more concentrated in a car than it is in a small room.

Children who ride with a smoking driver increase their risk of dying young, especially since “Pound for pound, children breathe more air than adults” observes Dr. Mark Horton, Director of California Department of Health ( Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2008) Fine particulate matter in tobacco smoke may damage their lungs forever. Many smokers do not realize this endangerment to kids who become unwitting victims of exposure to second hand smoke as they ride with some one who smokes.

In Pierce County there are 530,000 licensed drivers. Of the estimated 106,000 licensed drivers in Pierce County who smoke, a recent health department survey revealed that 11% (about 12,000) smoke in their cars when children are with them.

Apart from direct harm that smoking does to kids in the car, research suggests that there is a strong link between smoking and road accidents. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one fourth of all car crashes are caused by distractions while behind the wheel of an automobile.

It’s estimated that a vehicle traveling at a modest 30 miles per hour will still travel 16 yards per second while the driver scrabbles around for a fallen cigarette. The evidence is clear that driving and smoking increase the risk of having an accident. Also, research on road accidents conducted by 3 researchers at Catholic University “Traffic Accidents : An Econometric Investigation” draws the main conclusion that distractions such as cell phone and cigarette smoking in a moving vehicle, are significant factors determining traffic accidents.

September 3, 2008 is the day when schools are reopening in Pierce County after the summer break. On this day Tacoma Pierce County Health Department is launching a county-wide campaign “Please Don’t Smoke in Car with Kids” to inculcate refrain from smoking while driving with kids. This is an opportunity for parents to resolve not to smoke while driving with kids to and from their school and to experience the health benefits of that act for themselves and for their kids. Consider the impact of your habit on your children. BUTT OUT FIRST BEFORE YOU BUCKLE UP.

Amrit Lal is a Prevention Specialist for the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department. He can be reached at mswami@tpchd.org.